


Walk Twice Upon This Earth

by Water_and_Fire



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, F/M, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Injured Zuko (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Ozai’s A+ Parenting, Powerful Zuko, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sukka, Taang - Freeform, The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar) - Freeform, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), Time Travel, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zutara, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27272107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Water_and_Fire/pseuds/Water_and_Fire
Summary: The last thing Zuko remembers is a blinding blue light, and then nothing.Zuko has been banished for three years, forced to chase the avatar, however, upon the avatar’s return, Zuko’s mind floods with memories that he shouldn’t have. He needs to find the avatar. But not for the reason everyone thinks.Or... a time travel fic in which Zuko remembers canon up until the lightning bolt in the final Agni Kai. He gets a chance to start over and hopefully keeps everyone that he cares for safe.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Ozai (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Ozai & Zuko (Avatar), Past Aang/Katara - Relationship, Past Mai/Zuko - Relationship, Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 351





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody! This is my first fic, so please be nice, but constructive criticism is always welcome!  
> Please read the tags, if you don’t like the pairing feel free to not read!  
> Enjoy!

“What, no lightning today?” Zuko mocked as he readied his stance. “Scared I’ll redirect it?”

Azula’s hair sparked with the crackling energy of her fire. “You want lightning?” She asked. “Oh, I’ll show you lightning!” She bared her teeth, preparing to fire her life-ending shot, when she caught sight of the waterbender peeking out from beside a column. Her stance shifted ever so slightly, but Zuko noticed. Just as Azula released her lightning, Zuko realized her new target and dove in front of Katara. 

“No!” He shouted. He should have known. He should have known Azula would not be defeated so easily. A million thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to fully redirect the lightning. _Did I save her? Was Aang able to defeat my father? I’m so sorry Azula, I’ve failed you. Uncle, I’m so, so sorry. I wish I could tell you in person._ He fell to the ground, some of the energy had reached his heart. He writhed on the cobblestone, praying to Agni, or whatever spirits would listen, for Katara to live. The sounds of the battle were lost to his muddled mind. His last thought before he succumbed to the darkness was a cool sensation over his chest. But he knew it was too little too late.


	2. Chapter 1

It’s been three years since Prince Zuko’s banishment. Three years spent relentlessly searching for a ghost. Three years in which Iroh has tried to convince his nephew that honor and love are not the same. And that his father is incapable of love. Of course, Prince Zuko is stubborn. Like the inscription on the dagger Iroh had gifted him years ago, Zuko does not give up without a fight.   
  


For the last three years, Zuko and his crew have scoured every last inch of the earth, but to no avail. Iroh knows this is a fruitless quest, but he cannot bring himself to snuff out Zuko’s last hope. 

* * *

The sun rises with all of Agni’s power, and calls out to his children to start their day. The people aboard the Wani started their day, making sure to leave the Prince alone. It was the anniversary of his banishment today. He would not be in a good mood.   
  


Iroh softly raps at Zuko’s door. He can hear a muffled “Go away,” from behind the door. Iroh gently places down his favorite tea tray. “Your breakfast is outside the door, Nephew. You are welcome to join us on the deck if you would like,” Iroh told his nephew. As Iroh makes his way up the stairs, he hears the faint squeak of Zuko’s door opening. _Good._ He thinks. _At least he’s eating.  
_

* * *

Zuko sits in room, having finished his breakfast, he starts to perform his katas. He’s noticed that when he focuses on training, and in turn his breath control, the memories don’t surface as much. Of course, he can’t use fire in such a closed space, so he just goes through the routines. A quick punch in the air, a swift kick to the side. 

After a while, Zuko decides to go up to the deck and see how much progress they had made in traveling to the South Pole. The air was starting the feel colder, so he was sure they were getting close.   
  
On the deck, Zuko could feel the eyes of his crew boring into the back of his head. He did his best to ignore them. He walked up to his uncle and stood straight beside him, hands clasped tightly behind his back. 

Iroh, knowing what Zuko wanted to ask, said, “We will be nearing the South Pole in an hour.” In an attempt to take his nephew’s mind off of the avatar, he added, “ Would you like to join me for a game of Pai Sho?”

“No! I don’t want to play your stupid flower game! I need to find the avatar to restore my honor,” Zuko’s voice broke on the last word. He knew he shouldn’t snap at his uncle, but didn’t he understand that this was his only way home? _Their_ only way home.

* * *

An hour had passed and the air had turned frigid, the ocean filled with dangerous ice bergs. The Wani was navigating the sea with difficulty, when a loud boom could be heard. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction the noise had come from. It was quite possible that they were not the only Fire Nation at the South Pole, and if Zhao was here, well, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Their fears were soon proved wrong as a pillar of white light burst from the middle of the ice, raising into the sky and far beyond into the Spirit World.   
  


The second Zuko layed his eyes on the harsh light, memories flooded his mind. Memories that he shouldn’t have. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, Momo, Appa. The palace, and how it wasn’t what he expected. The Western Air temple. The Boiling Rock. Yon Rha. The lightning. The _lightning_. His brain was overcome with memories one after the other. He remembered Azula aiming the lightning at Katara, and then nothing. A soft “No!” Burst from his lips before he started to get dizzy. Dark patches were starting to cover his eyesight. He could hear people talking, but his head felt like it was underwater. He was vaguely aware of someone’s arms holding him up before he completely succumbed to the darkness. 

* * *

Iron held his nephew to his chest. He turned to the crew, eyes wide, and whispered in awe, “The avatar has returned.”


	3. Chapter 2

Zuko felt something damp on his forehead. That thought was soon banished from his mind when the memories of the “past” year came rushing back to him. He didn’t understand how he was back on his ship, and he definitely didn’t understand why. But, he knew that he was, and that was enough for him to promise himself that he would do everything in his power to help his team win this time. His thoughts subsided as he started to hear his uncle’s voice whispering to someone else, and he realized he was no longer on the deck. He felt the soft mattress on his futon bend underneath him. As he fully regained consciousness, he opened his eyes with a groan. 

“Prince Zuko,” Uncle Iroh exclaimed, “good you are awake. We were very worried. You know a growing boy needs his rest.”

Zuko stared at his uncle blankly until he realized he was probably supposed to get angry and snap at his uncle. “I’m fine,” he said stiffly, that was the best he could do for now. While he still had a temper, he wouldn’t go off for something this trivial. Zuko started to sit, but Iroh pushed him back down. “Uncle, I’m fine, really. Can I get up now?” He asked, pulling out what he hoped were convincing puppy eyes.

“Fine,” Iroh relented, “but only if you go straight to bed when the sun sets.”

“Yes, Uncle,” Zuko rolled his eyes. _We need to find the avatar. Oh there is so much to be done. How do I even go about this? Do I bring back the “Hello, Zuko here?” No, no that was really awkward and didn’t work the first time. Hmm, maybe I should lie and go by Lee? No, they’d find out who I was eventually, better just to come clean and hope they’ll accept into their group._ Instead of relaying his rambling thoughts to his uncle, all Zuko said was, “We need to find the avatar, and fast.”

Iroh sighed, he knew it would take a long time for Zuko to realize that his father and the ways of the Fire Nation are wrong, but dear Agni, did he wish that Zuko would stop and rest for a second. “Of course, Nephew, but maybe we could have some jasmine tea while we wait?” Iroh asked. To his surprise, Zuko nodded, and admitted that he would like that. Who would’ve thought?

* * *

Lieutenant Jee knocked on Zuko’s door a while later and told him that they had reached the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko dashed up the deck, figuring it was better to not make the crew suspicious. But what was there to even be suspicious of? Oh well, he was already at the bow of the ship. _Wow_. He thought. _Aang looks so young._ He was shaken out of his reverie when his uncle grasped his shoulder and asked him for orders. Zuko replied, “Let me handle this on my own, please.” Iroh looked apprehensive, but eventually granted Zuko his wish. Zuko descended the steps of the ship, fighting off the urge to run and be with his “friends” again. He saw Sokka run up with his boomerang in hand, and before he could even think of throwing it, Zuko held up a hand and said, “I do not mean any harm. I simply come here looking for the Avatar.” He started to stumble here, “Not that I want to capture him, um…”

Sokka interrupted before he could finish, “Yeah, and why should we believe you, ashmaker? You’re just trying to run our Tribe to the ground, haven’t you taken enough, Jerkbender?” Sokka’s voice broke on the word Tribe. Their small town was hardly a tribe anymore. Zuko winced as he remembered that he would have added to the devastation had he not remembered the past year. He was caught off guard by the nickname, maybe Sokka remembered! But with the way he was poised to attack, and how he greeted him, Zuko knew he was probably the only one who remembered. 

“Oh, well, I could see why you think that, but, I just want to see the avatar, so I can teach him firebending. Oh, and I could help you defeat my father,” Zuko added hopefully. It turns out, telling people who hate the Fire Nation that you are the Fire Lord’s son is not a good way to start peace talks. He shrank back as the town’s glares turned murderous. “I promise I’m not like him,” he tried. He was about to start running when he saw a flash of yellow and orange. _Aang!_ “Avatar!” Zuko shouted. He waited for Aang to turn towards him before he continued, “I would be honored if I could be your firebending teacher.” He put the palm of his hand against his fist and bowed. Aang turned to look at him, Katara running up the hill behind him. It seemed like nothing he tried was working. Nothing he said would win them over. But, he had one last trick up his sleeve. 

Just as the avatar was about to strike, Zuko shouted, “Aang, stop!”


	4. Chapter 3

Iroh watched as his nephew made a placating gesture towards the Tribe. He held his hands up in a way of surrender, but it did little to soothe the almost palpable tension. Iroh mentally facepalmed when he noticed his nephew start to ramble. That was never good. He knew Zuko didn’t think things through; this was going to bite him in the ass. Just as Iroh was about to come to Zuko’s rescue, Zuko shouted something that made everyone go still. 

* * *

“Aang, stop!” Zuko shouted. The whole tribe stilled. Zuko then realized that he would have to come up with a pretty believable explanation as to why he knew the Avatar’s name, when he had “never” met the Avatar before. He shook his slightly, he never thought things through. He could just tell everyone the truth, but is that really believable? He’d never heard of anyone getting a second chance at life. Maybe he could say he overheard someone say his name. But that wouldn’t work either, he realized, as no one had been talking before he’d arrived. _Ugh. What could I say that would be believable? I could really use some of Uncle’s weird wisdom right now. Wait. Uncle! The Spirit World!_

“How do you know who I am?” Aang asked, looking somewhat scared but just plain confused 

“Oh, um, so I had a spirit dream?” It came out as more of a question then Zuko would have liked “yeah, so, in the dreams, they, the spirits, told me to find Aang, which is you, and to help you stop the war.” His voice raised in pitch as Zuko continued talking. He hoped it wasn’t that noticeable.

”Prove it.” Katara said, and oh how she reminded him of her when he had just joined their group in the Western Air Temple.

”Okay,” Zuko conceded, “If I am able to prove to you that I am not lying, will you let me join you?” He waited until Aang nodded. “So Aang, you’re the last air bender and you were trapped in an ice berg until just recently. Katara,” he turned to look in her direction, and she was so shocked, her mouth hung open, “you are the daughter of the Southern Water Tribe’s Chief, as well as their last water bender. Sokka, you are her sister, and your favorite weapon is your boomerang, which you call Boomerang,” He added with a smirk.

Aang, Sokka, and Katara looked at each other, then at him, and seemed to come to an understanding just from that. “You can come with us on one condition,” Aang stated in all seriousness, “you have to come penguin sledding with us!” Apparently that was not what the Water Tribe siblings thought he was going to say, since they looked at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

”Aaaand, you have to promise on whatever you Fire Nation people care about that you won’t stab us in the back,” Sokka added.

”I swear on my honor,” Zuko said, wanting to laugh at his own joke. He missed the friendship he had with Sokka, hell, he missed the friendship he had with all of them. “And I’d love to go penguin sledding with you, Aang. But first, I need to talk to my uncle.”

* * *

Iroh knew something was off about Zuko after he had passed out on the deck, but he was not expecting this. “A spirit dream, Prince Zuko? And you didn’t tell me?” Iroh asked. 

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to worry you, and we were already so close. I just figured that I’d tell you after.” Zuko replied with a shoulder shrug. He trusted his uncle, he really did, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to tell anyone about what really happened. He wasn’t even sure it did happen himself. Maybe it was all a spirit dream. But Zuko knew that was not true. Spirit dreams do not portray emotion, and memories, and pain. They show you what you need to see in cryptic messages, they rarely ever show relationships with the people in them. “I know you must be upset with me for not telling you, but it is my destiny to help the avatar restore balance to the world. And right now, I kind of want to go penguin sledding, if all of this is okay with you of course,” Zuko hastily added. Zuko had never gotten the chance to actually go on fun adventures with the gaang. Sure, he went on adventures, but were they fun? No, no they were not. The Sun Warrior adventure was pretty cool, but getting stuck in slime, not fun.   
  
Iroh looked at his nephew with pride in his eyes, but there was an air of sadness to it as well. “I will allow you to go, but first, you will tell me all about your spirit dream.”

”Of course, Uncle,” Zuko said.

”And promise me, Nephew, you will come back to me.” _I cannot lose another son_ was left unsaid, but was heard by the both of them.

”I promise, Uncle,” Zuko said through tears. The realization hitting him that, had he not gotten this second chance, he wouldn’t have come back to his uncle. Zuko shook his head, it would do no good to dwell on those thoughts now. He took a deep breath and began to recount as much of his adventures with the gaang as he could without it seeming too detailed. 

Iroh listened patiently.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!! I am sooooo so sorry for the long wait. I was on college visits for a week and then I had a LOT of studying to do with midterms (my school switches classes after one semester, it’s weird). So, without further ado, I give you chapter 4!!

Aang leads Sokka, Katara, and Zuko up a steep mountain perfect for penguin sledding. As the trio talked about nonsensical things, Zuko fell back and took his time to look around the village. It was small, he realized, much smaller than he first thought when he first attacked their village all of those years (were they years?) ago. The tribe was composed of women, the elderly, and children. None of which were benders, except for Katara. The children tan around, playing with each other in the cold snow, but they were also taught how to fight. They were taught in case another Fire Nation ship decided to raid their village. The elderly took care of the children, while the women cooked and cleaned, and hunted. Since all of the men had left to fight the war, the women had learned how to hunt. The igloos were adorned with tiger-seal skins and old tapestries. The igloos were dilapidated, however, since Katara was inexperienced and there were no benders to help build them. The largest structure, which Zuko assumed was for tribe meetings, was falling apart and looked like it hadn’t been use in years. The people, however, were making the best of their situation. They sang traditional songs as they worked and let the children play, because one day those same children will have to fight in a terrible war.   
  


“We’re here!” Aang announced.   
  


Zuko looked around and saw penguins upon penguins in every possible direction. They were odd, with stubby legs and a slippery long, black and white body. Zuko looked down the slope they would be riding. _How_ , he wondered, _did they not die with all of the stupid things they did?_   
  


“How do I do this?” Zuko asked.   
  


“Like this!” Aang said. He then demonstrated grabbing a penguin, jumping into its back, and guiding towards the slope. A faint “WEEEEE” could be heard as Aang descended.   
  


Katara went next and shot him a dirty look. “Try not to burn the birds,” she said snarkily. As she hopped on her penguin Sokka gave him a shrug and began to hop onto his own.

Zuko groaned. He remembered how hard it was to earn back Katara’s trust, but he hadn’t even betrayed her trust (he cringed at that thought) in this timeline. Zuko groaned again and accepted the fact that he would still have to work hard for Katara’s trust. That thought made him smile. Nothing was ever easy with Katara, and that’s what he liked about her. Because as much as she hated him, and as much as she was difficult, she was never, ever like Azula. She was complicated. She could hate and love at the same time. She was an enigma to him. One that he wanted to solve.   
  


Zuko fumbled as he tried to get on his own penguin, and only half succeeded before he was starting to slide down the mountain. Eyes wide, he righted himself. Soon, he felt the cold wind through his ponytail (ugh, he would have to go through all of those awful hair stages again). The ride was exhilarating, and when Zuko met the rest of the team at the bottom of the slope, he was out of breath from trying not to scream.   
  


“That was so fun!” Aang squealed, “Let’s do it again!”   
  


Zuko was about to interject that, no, let’s not go again, I just remembered how to stand, when Sokka spoke, “Actually, I think it’s time we head to the Northern Water Tribe now. You and my sister need to learn waterbending, and Prince Jerkebender over here looks like he’s about keel over.”

Zuko hmph-ed and rolled his eyes. Sokka was a real pain in the ass when he wasn’t allowed to tease him back. 

* * *

As the gaang climbed onto Appa, Zuko looked at his uncle one last time. Their eyes met, and Zuko made a silent promise to his uncle. _I will come back to you. I promise._ With that, Zuko climbed into Appa’s back and faced his old friends. 

Aang gave a quiet “yip, yip” and the great sky bison took off. Leaving Iroh and the tribe in the distance. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! I’m not sure how long this is going to be and I will try to post regularly, which will probably be once a week. Can’t wait to hear your feedback!


End file.
